By Jim Henry

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Bella Ascanio could not have picked a better time to pitch her best game of the season.

Ascanio was almost unhittable, and she belted a tape-measure home run as St. Mary’s Colgan defeated Mission Valley 5-0 Friday night in the Class 2-1A softball state tournament championship game at Arrocha Ballpark in Rock Chalk Park.

The fifth-seeded Panthers captured their fourth state title in school history, joining the 2010, 2019 and 2021 trophies.

“From the get-go, we put so much hard work in, tears and sweat into this team,” shortstop Kara Osborn said. “We’ve done morning practices, our triangles we have to run. It’s just a great feeling to see it all come together.”

For first-year coach Colgan coach Cassie Rhuems, it’s her sixth state championship. The first five came with Frontenac, including 2024 and 2025 to give her three in a row.

“They never get old,” she said. “Each one is a little bit different, and I think they get a little more special the more I win just because I realize what it means to do it.

“This team never quit. They are an incredible group of kids, and I am so proud to be their coach. It was a hard choice for me to do what I did, and I’m grateful to be where I am.”

Ascanio, a junior, gave up just one hit, walked only one batter and struck out 12, giving her 34 strikeouts in the three state tourney games. She threw 102 pitches, 67 for strikes.

“Curve, curve, curve, that’s basically all I was throwing,” Ascanio said. “And my screwball, I figured it out finally.

“I think (this was my best game), yes. In my head, every single pitch I was thinking attack. And I knew this was a big moment, so I pitched my heart out.”

“She located so well,” Rhuems said. “I told her you picked a really great time to lock in. Shout out to her, and shout out to the kids behind her, too. I think that’s what helped her as the season progressed is understanding that she could trust the kids behind her to go make plays for her. We played great defense. One error in 21 innings at the best softball in the state, that’s pretty good defense.”

Annabel Bryan singled to center field to start the second inning for second-seeded Mission Valley (29-3). Ascanio then retired the next 16 batters before Madisyn Kraus reached on an error on a tough fielding chance with one out in the seventh. Bryan walked to put two runners on base before Ascanio retired the next two batters on a fielder’s choice and strikeout to ignite the postgame celebration.

Colgan grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Drew Dayton beat out an infield hit and moved to third on Ascanio’s double that landed just inside the right-field line.

Callie Lundy’s sharply hit ball went off pitcher Kraus’ leg for a hit to score Dayton, and Ascanio also came home on an error on the throw to first base.

“It set the tone from the beginning,” Osborn said. “It allows us to have that momentum to continue to push through like we got this.”

“We knew that they rode their pitcher, and we knew she was a great pitcher,” Rhuems said. “So I think us coming out with that aggressiveness and really pounding the ball like we did gave us some momentum. I think it helped ease everybody’s nerves, too.”

Ascanio led off the third with a blast that landed in the trees beyond the corner of the scoreboard in left-center field for her 10th homer of the season.

“One hundred percent, that was the hardest ball I’ve hit,” she said. “It just flew.”

Kylee Kretchmar walked with one out in the third, moved to third on Addie Bettega’s two-out single to center and scored on a successfully executed double steal.

Colgan’s final run came in the seventh as Lundy singled, stole second, took third on Kretchmar’s single to right-center and scored on Addie Morris’ groundout to shortstop.

The Panthers’ other hit was a second-inning single by Katie Duncan.

Colgan finished the season on a 13-game winning streak after suffering its three losses during a one-week period in April. Those losses were to Class 4A state champion Fort Scott, Missouri district runner-up East Newton and Arkansas three-time Class 6A state champion Bentonville.

“Shout out to everybody on our team,” Rhuems said. “They all had a role this season. They figured out what it was and bought in, and here they are. They climbed their mountain. I told them at the beginning they have a mountain to climb and a lot of climbing to do. They are finally at the top.”

SM Colgan 202 000 1 – 5 8 1

Mission Val. 000 000 0 – 0 1 2

Bella Ascanio and Kylee Kretchmar; Madisyn Kraus and Annabel Bryan. 2B—SMC: Ascanio. HR—SMC: Ascanio.

Ascanio was almost unhittable, and she belted a tape-measure home run as St. Mary’s Colgan defeated Mission Valley 5-0 Friday night in the Class 2-1A softball state tournament championship game at Arrocha Ballpark in Rock Chalk Park.

The fifth-seeded Panthers captured their fourth state title in school history, joining the 2010, 2019 and 2021 trophies.

“From the get-go, we put so much hard work in, tears and sweat into this team,” shortstop Kara Osborn said. “We’ve done morning practices, our triangles we have to run. It’s just a great feeling to see it all come together.”

For first-year coach Colgan coach Cassie Rhuems, it’s her sixth state championship. The first five came with Frontenac, including 2024 and 2025 to give her three in a row.

“They never get old,” she said. “Each one is a little bit different, and I think they get a little more special the more I win just because I realize what it means to do it.

“This team never quit. They are an incredible group of kids, and I am so proud to be their coach. It was a hard choice for me to do what I did, and I’m grateful to be where I am.”

Ascanio, a junior, gave up just one hit, walked only one batter and struck out 12, giving her 34 strikeouts in the three state tourney games. She threw 102 pitches, 67 for strikes.

“Curve, curve, curve, that’s basically all I was throwing,” Ascanio said. “And my screwball, I figured it out finally.

“I think (this was my best game), yes. In my head, every single pitch I was thinking attack. And I knew this was a big moment, so I pitched my heart out.”

“She located so well,” Rhuems said. “I told her you picked a really great time to lock in. Shout out to her, and shout out to the kids behind her, too. I think that’s what helped her as the season progressed is understanding that she could trust the kids behind her to go make plays for her. We played great defense. One error in 21 innings at the best softball in the state, that’s pretty good defense.”

Annabel Bryan singled to center field to start the second inning for second-seeded Mission Valley (29-3). Ascanio then retired the next 16 batters before Madisyn Kraus reached on an error on a tough fielding chance with one out in the seventh. Bryan walked to put two runners on base before Ascanio retired the next two batters on a fielder’s choice and strikeout to ignite the postgame celebration.

Colgan grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Drew Dayton beat out an infield hit and moved to third on Ascanio’s double that landed just inside the right-field line.

Callie Lundy’s sharply hit ball went off pitcher Kraus’ leg for a hit to score Dayton, and Ascanio also came home on an error on the throw to first base.

“It set the tone from the beginning,” Osborn said. “It allows us to have that momentum to continue to push through like we got this.”

“We knew that they rode their pitcher, and we knew she was a great pitcher,” Rhuems said. “So I think us coming out with that aggressiveness and really pounding the ball like we did gave us some momentum. I think it helped ease everybody’s nerves, too.”

Ascanio led off the third with a blast that landed in the trees beyond the corner of the scoreboard in left-center field for her 10th homer of the season.

“One hundred percent, that was the hardest ball I’ve hit,” she said. “It just flew.”

Kylee Kretchmar walked with one out in the third, moved to third on Addie Bettega’s two-out single to center and scored on a successfully executed double steal.

Colgan’s final run came in the seventh as Lundy singled, stole second, took third on Kretchmar’s single to right-center and scored on Addie Morris’ groundout to shortstop.

The Panthers’ other hit was a second-inning single by Katie Duncan.

Colgan finished the season on a 13-game winning streak after suffering its three losses during a one-week period in April. Those losses were to Class 4A state champion Fort Scott, Missouri district runner-up East Newton and Arkansas three-time Class 6A state champion Bentonville.

“Shout out to everybody on our team,” Rhuems said. “They all had a role this season. They figured out what it was and bought in, and here they are. They climbed their mountain. I told them at the beginning they have a mountain to climb and a lot of climbing to do. They are finally at the top.”

SM Colgan 202 000 1 – 5 8 1

Mission Val. 000 000 0 – 0 1 2

Bella Ascanio and Kylee Kretchmar; Madisyn Kraus and Annabel Bryan. 2B—SMC: Ascanio. HR—SMC: Ascanio.